Hornets in my bird box :)

[paltandsepper]

I'd never as much as seen one before. Let alone heard one, they're so loud! And their buzz is very very low, I can't think how to describe it. When I first heard one fly past my window I actually thought someone was using a power tool nearby.

Well Mummy hornet flew into my kitchen a few weeks ago (my god she was huge!). I closed the door to the rest of the house, opened the outside doors and left her to it and she was soon gone (thankfully did not decide to nest in my kitchen).

Then a day or so later I saw her crawling into my bird box. Fast forward a few weeks and there's a few of them appearing, they keep coming into my conservatory of an evening. Fascinating creatures and I can see their nest in the hole of the bird box, just looks like a wasps nest really, cylindrical, paper-mache-like.

I do have a question, will I disturb them if I use my compost heap, which is directly underneath the box? I don't believe I will, I am not tall enough to be in their flight path to and fro, there's roughly 2-3 feet (I think!) between the lid of the compost bin and the bird box.

I am sorry that happened to you, it sounds very frightening (& painful)!

I don't think hysterically screaming is ever a good way to react? It sounds as if it was trapped in your hair and panicked.

They've come into my house a few times, at night when I've been sitting having a drink in my conservatory. I've just gently guided them out.

I won't be exterminating them unless something drastically changes in their behaviour. As I've said above, they kill flies including houseflies and bluebottles earlier on in the year. They also feed 'plant pests' to their young. They also provide food for small mammals. They encourage biodiversity in gardens, forests and wooded areas. In short, they're important and unless they begin to pose a real threat to me, they're staying.

Huh? I’ve a lot of hair, you try having a Hornet in there and not scream. And I didn’t say hysterical

good grief. Passive aggressive bullshit from someone I was trying to help.

slow hand clap op.

I am sorry, I didn't at all mean it in a bad way and I may have indeed panicked (albeit not screamed as I live alone and nobody would hear me)! And I am sorry that that happened to you.

You're probably hoping one stings me now

No I wouldn’t wish it on anyone. I’ve a lot of very long curly hair, I could hear it close to my head as it was in there, and I was bent over shaking my hair trying to get it out. Because you can’t grab it. So I was tentatively putting my fingers in there as I shook my head , I was screaming my husbands name, or shouting more accurately, as he was downstairs, not behaving like I was in a horror movie and being hysterical.

as he came running up it came out my hair and stung my back, right between my shoulder blades where there is no real flesh.

when they sting they can do so repeatedly, it did a full sting once and a smaller one a second time. It’s like you’ve been stabbed and a burning sensation and incredibly painful. Like a wasp sting on steroids.

irs not a laughing matter. Or a reason to have a go at someone like they are some pitiful woman as they don’t want a Hornet in their hair crawling round their scalp.

If people are interested in bees, this is a good charity to support: https://www.bumblebeeconservation.org/

Especially as they are having a hard time this year.

Actually my wasp sting 11 years ago was much worse than that (though thankfully not in my scalp, that does sound horrible). My leg became really swollen and it stayed like that for at least 2 weeks. It was like a previous jellyfish sting.

As I said before, I’ve never experienced hornets before, but I expect I’d be equally panicked by them as by wasps. (I don’t mind bees though.)

OMG, that’s horrific.

I’ve had bees caught in my hair a couple of times this year and I definitely did run around screamibg hysterically. The buzzing sounds very loud when it is close to your ears and a hornet must be a hundred times worse
We had to have them exterminated in the end as beekeepers couldn’t take them away as they were too aggressive

We get lots of hornets. I would say not to go near the compost under the box as if they interpret it as a threat to the nest, you won't have your best day.
I am allergic to stings so I couldn't risk an active nest anywhere I couldn't avoid.
I had tree bumblebees in a nesting box one year and just let them be. We also get emperor dragonflies and humming bird hawk moths.
Unfortunately wasp and hornets nests have to play by fair rules on my patch or I get them dealt with.
I am also completely terrified of them, but like to give coexisting a fair chance before I take action.

I wasn't meaning you were pitiful! Apologies. I wouldn't want one in my hair either, or to get on the wrong side of one, period!

I remember a while ago a lot of large cities encouraged people to buy hives and keep honeybees. There were even companies that would upkeep the hive and harvest the honey for you, for a fee. All that resulted in was a lot of dead bees as there wasn't enough food for them.

Encouraging bumbles is tricky as they require specific conditions and you can make something that may seem the perfect nesting site to a human eye and they'll still turn their nose up at!

I think the best thing anyone can do is plant seeds (not flowers, seeds) of plants that are attractive to bees. So many shop-bought flowers are laced with lethal pesticides, albeit I think B&Q and Aldi pledge not to do this. Wildflowers and foxgloves, buddleia (both can be pests and overtake the garden but they're pretty) catmint, comphrey, lavender.

I got slightly worried an hour or so ago when my neighbour was drilling on our adjoining wall, my house was vibrating and I worried this would rile them but it seems to have not. I saw one retreating back into the nest but that was it.

I think this thread is a good reminder for people to keep eyes out for Asian hornets due to the destruction they cause!

https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/wildlife/how-identify/have-you-found-hornet

Any asian hornets should be reported to authorities ASAP

Yes. Luckily they're very distinctive from 'our' hornets!